Cast and Musicians
Tania de Jong AM
SlawaTania de Jong AM is an acclaimed soprano who presents magical performances across classical, music theatre, contemporary, sacred, spiritual and world genres. She also MCs and presents keynote speeches, voice workshops, immersive sound experiences and uses voice as a healing modality. She creates heartfelt music and performances for meditation and prayer, tribute, reflection, inspiration and illumination and has released 5 solo albums.
Tania is a spiritual journey woman, creative alchemist and award-winning social entrepreneur. She is the Founder of four charities, Umbrella Foundation, Mind Medicine Australia, The Song Room and Creativity Australia and the With One Voice program, and Creative Universe, Creative Innovation Global, Dimension5, Pot-Pourri and MTA Entertainment & Events.
She performed with the Victoria State Opera and has appeared as a soloist in operas and musicals and with orchestras, festivals, corporate, private and special events globally. Her internationally renowned singing group Pot-Pourri have released 7 albums and performed in over 40 countries. Tania holds degrees from the Victorian College of the Arts (Voice, Opera and Music Theatre) and has a Bachelor of Law (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.
She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2008 for service to the arts as a performer and entrepreneur and through the establishment and development of music and arts enrichment programs for schools and communities. Her TED Talk: “How singing together changes the brain” has sparked international interest. Tania’s mission is to change the world, one voice at a time.
Anton Berezin
KarlAnton Berezin is an Australian actor, singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Berezin is best known for his roles in major commercial musical theatre productions such as Phantom of the Opera, The Bridges of Madison County, Evita, Once, Doctor Zhivago, Wicked, The Producers, Cabaret, Cats and The Secret Garden. His film and Television work has included roles in Newton’s Law, The Divorce, Jack Irish: Black Tide, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, MDA, Neighbours and The Secret Life of Us. He has been a prolific producer of Musical Theatre and Family Theatre through Life Like Company, a production house he established in 1998 with his wife, actress and writer, Theresa Borg. Berezin was born in Leningrad in 1972 in the former Soviet Union, the first born child of Boris, a computer programmer and Zina, a concert violinist and music teacher. The family arrived in Melbourne in 1976 as refugees when Berezin was three years old. He speaks fluent Russian and has learned his ancestral language, Yiddish, as an adult.
Bridget Costello
EvaNew Zealander, Bridget Costello, played the role of Christine Daae in the original West End production and the most recent new production of Phantom of the Opera at the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne. She initially played the role of Swing and Understudy Christine in the London production.
Her training commenced at the New Zealand School of Music and she went on to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London.
After graduating, Bridget played Princess Beautiful in The Tinderbox (Charing Cross Theatre), Princess Ida in Princess Ida (Finborough Theatre), and was a Soloist/Ensemble at Thursford Christmas Spectacular. She had the honour of singing the New Zealand and British national anthems at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Hyde Park Corner. Bridget has also performed in the ensemble with New Zealand Opera in Madame Butterfly and The Bartered Bride.
Michaela Burger
RellaMichaela Burger has performed with one of Broadway’s most sophisticated Musical Theatre writers, Jason Robert Brown, and has shared the stage with Australia’s own Paul Capsis, Alan John, Meow Meow, Nancye Hayes, Mitchell Butel, Cameron Goodall, Tyran Park, John Thorn and Daniel Koek.
Her Musical Theatre credits include Rumpelstiltskin (Southbank Theatre London/Windmill & State Theatre of South Australia), Can You Hear Colour? (Adelaide Festival & Patch Theatre), Cranky Bear (Patch Theatre) and Passion (State Opera Studios).
Other performing credits include Aftertaste (ABC TV & Closer Productions), Twelfth Night (Adelaide Botanic Gardens/Shakespeare South Australia), Apocalypse Meow (Brooklyn Academy Of Music, New York & Malthouse Theatre), Merry Widow (State Opera of South Australia), Juliet Letters (Adelaide Cabaret Festival), Rouge (Highwire Entertainment), Otello (State Opera of South Australia), Requiem (State Opera of South Australia), Marriage of Figaro (Co-opera of South Australia), Tosca (Co-opera of South Australia), Thunderstruck (Warner Brothers) and as the host of Humphrey B Bear (Banksia Productions, Chanel 9).
Described by Kate Ceberano as “an asset to the cabaret community”, Burger is the inaugural recipient of the Frank Ford Award, Best Cabaret Adelaide Fringe Award and has been nominated for two Helpmann Academy Awards for Best Cabaret Performer.
In addition to winning the 2015 International Cabaret Contest, Burger is the co-writer and star of the world renowned stage show Exposing Edith, about the life and songs of Edith Piaf. Her recent award-winning show, A Migrant’s Son – which explores Greek migration to Australia – has received critical acclaim and features original music written by Burger.
Nelson Gardner
Ignaz, Marcel, Gauleiter, Patent Attorneys & more...Nelson grew up in Bendigo, working as a labourer, before heading to Melbourne to pursue a career in the arts. He graduated from VCA’s inaugural Bachelor of Music Theatre course and has performed professionally ever since. With a passion for new works and developing original musicals, he was most recently a player in Kadimah Theatre Company’s The Ghetto Cabaret and originated the role of Teddy in the musical adaptation of The Dressmaker.
Most well known as the title role in Ned – A New Australian Musical, his other performance credits include The Producers, Chess, Jesus Christ Superstar and Brigadoon with The Production Company, Beauty And The Beast with Adam Lowe Group, Citizen Theatre’s sold-out seasons of The Importance Of Being Earnest and Twelfth Night, as well as both seasons of Company 11’s Third World Blues.
He performed as Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along at MTC’s Lawler Studio, Paul in the regional tour of Company with Watch This Productions and as Henrik in their tour of A Little Night Music.
Musicians
Roy Theaker
Violinist (Melbourne)Internationally acclaimed virtuoso violinist, Roy Theaker, is known for his musical diversity, engaging stage presence and blistering technical ability. He has lit up the stage of Sydney Opera House and of Carnegie Hall NY, both in the highbrow classical world and in the commercial theatre, rock and pop industry.
He is regularly heard by thousands of Australian Music Theatre goers throughout hit shows including The Book of Mormon, Evita, Phantom of the Opera and Fiddler on the Roof. He has shared centre stage with the likes of Robbie Williams, Andrea Bocelli and Hugh Jackman.
A former Concertmaster with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, he studied in London and Vienna, and has performed with most of the Australian and South East Asian Orchestras as Concertmaster, soloist or conductor. His recordings can be heard on all the major streaming platforms.
Kalina Krusteva
Cellist (Melbourne)Described by Janos Starker as “a cellist of the highest quality who will play an important part in musical life”, Kalina was born into a family of cellists in Sofia, Bulgaria. She regularly performed as soloist with all the Bulgarian Orchestras, winning numerous competitions and prizes. Her concerto recordings include Schuman and Elgar with the Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra alongside numerous new works. As a chamber musician she has performed with Yuri Bashmet and Misha Maisky. Performance highlights include sharing a desk with Yo-Yo Ma and playing as a principal with Gergiev’s World Orchestra for Peace at the Proms. Before moving to Melbourne, she was Principal Cello of the Orquestra do Algarve in Portugal, and since, has played as a Guest Principal with Orchestra Victoria, as a casual with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the Melbourne Conservatorium.
Michele O'Young
Violinist (Sydney)Michele is a highly respected violinist, teacher and contractor in the Sydney music scene. Since attaining two Masters degrees in Performance (Sydney Conservatorium) and Arts Administration (UTS), and a Certificate IV in Audio Engineering (SAE), she has developed a broad range of expertise in all three areas.
Michele was a founding member of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra 1998-2001. Since returning to Sydney in 2002, she has continuously worked as a full-time freelancer in most genres of the Sydney scene; ranging from orchestral playing with the Opera Australia Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Sydney Philharmonia, and Bach Akademie Australia, to performing in contemporary and jazz ensembles for artists such as Vince Jones, Megan Washington, Martha Marlow, Matt McMahon and Katie Noonan. Recent major music theatre productions include most recently Phantom on the Harbour. Michele is also a very busy TV/Film session musician, recording for Trackdown studios, AFTRS, 301, Squeakeclean, Turning Studios and Click Track Music.
She is thrilled to be a part of this season of Driftwood.
Rachel Valentine
Cellist (Sydney)Rachel has been performing professionally on the cello for the last 30 years, graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1991, with a high distinction in performance.
She has played many different genres of music during her career and is a very versatile and talented cellist. In 1993 Rachel commenced her performance career in musical theatre. She has performed for many musical theatre productions over the last 30 years, including full time contracts for: Into the Woods, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Les Miserables, The Secret Garden, A Little Night Music, Porgy and Bess, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fun Home, Mary Poppins and Cinderella.
Rachel has worked with all of the major orchestras in Sydney, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. From 1996 to 2003 Rachel worked with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on full time contract positions.
From 2003 to 2017 Rachel worked with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, performing dozens of operas, operettas, musicals and ballets during her time there. Since 2017 Rachel has returned to the world of musical theatre performing in many productions over the past five years.
David Gardos
Musical Director/Piano (Sydney)Originally from Sydney, David has been working as a music director and pianist in New York for the last 15 years. He originated five Broadway musicals: Chaplin, Big Fish, Side Show (2014 Revival), Finding Neverland, and Falsettos (2016 Revival), featuring on all five Broadway cast recordings. David was a substitute musician and/or conductor on numerous other Broadway and off-Broadway shows including In the Heights, Annie, Matilda, SpongeBob SquarePants, Peter and the Starcatcher and Desperate Measures. Up until very recently he was a substitute conductor and keyboardist at Hamilton on Broadway.
In addition to Broadway, David has been involved in the development of many new musicals in New York and around the US. Some production highlights include Ever After (Papermill Playhouse), My Paris (Goodspeed Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre), Darling Grenadine (Goodspeed Theatre, Roundabout Underground), Kiss My Aztec (Berkeley Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Hartford Stage). Workshop and developmental readings include Borderline and The Family Resemblance (Eugene O’Neill Theatre Centre), Gloryana (The Public Theatre), and Alice Bliss (Playwrights Horizons).
Some other career highlights include playing for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Kristin Chenoweth at Carnegie Hall, and Debra Monk’s Birthday Bash for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.
David has a Bachelor of Music (Music Education) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and a Master of Music (Orchestral Conducting) from the University of Cincinnati.